All flashcards
Flashcard 1: Which option best completes the statement: Higher wind speed usually causes erosion rate.
Answer: A higher erosion rate. Stronger winds can move more particles per unit time.
Flashcard 2: What is the relationship between erosion rate and the amount of landform change in a given time?
Answer: Higher erosion rate causes more change in the same time. Faster erosion removes more material per unit time.
Flashcard 3: Which agent of erosion is most likely to cause rapid change during heavy rain and flooding?
Answer: Running water. Fast-flowing water carries away large amounts of soil quickly.
Flashcard 4: Which agent of erosion most often changes coastlines by wearing away cliffs and moving sand?
Answer: Waves (ocean water). Wave action continuously strikes and wears away coastal rock.
Flashcard 5: Which agent of erosion can slowly carve valleys and canyons by moving water and sediment downhill?
Answer: Rivers and streams. Flowing water gradually cuts through rock over thousands of years.
Flashcard 6: Which agent of erosion can move sand and soil and form dunes where it blows often?
Answer: Wind. Moving air picks up and transports loose particles.
Flashcard 7: Which agent of erosion can scrape rock and create U-shaped valleys as it moves?
Answer: Glaciers (moving ice). Ice acts like sandpaper as it slowly flows over bedrock.
Flashcard 8: What is one main reason steep slopes often have higher erosion rates than flat areas?
Answer: Gravity pulls water and sediment downhill faster on steep slopes. Steeper angles increase water velocity and erosive power.
Flashcard 9: What effect does vegetation usually have on erosion rate in an area?
Answer: It lowers erosion rate by holding soil in place. Plant roots bind soil particles together, preventing removal.
Flashcard 10: Identify the most likely result when wave erosion rate is high along a rocky shoreline.
Answer: Faster cliff retreat and coastline change. Strong waves remove more rock material per unit time.
Flashcard 11: Which option best completes the statement: More rainfall intensity usually causes erosion rate.
Answer: A higher erosion rate. Heavy rain creates more runoff with greater erosive force.
Flashcard 12: Which scenario shows the faster erosion rate: a calm stream or a fast, muddy flood?
Answer: A fast, muddy flood. Fast water carries more sediment than slow water.
Flashcard 13: Which location is likely to have the higher erosion rate: bare soil on a steep hill or grassy flat land?
Answer: Bare soil on a steep hill. Steep slopes and no plants create ideal erosion conditions.
Flashcard 14: Which term describes landform change when erosion happens very quickly during an event?
Answer: Rapid change. Large amounts of material are removed in short time periods.
Flashcard 15: Which term describes landform change caused by erosion happening little by little over long times?
Answer: Gradual change. Small amounts of material are removed over extended periods.
Flashcard 16: What does a low erosion rate usually cause to landforms over time?
Answer: Slower landform change that may be hard to notice quickly. Less material is removed per unit time, so changes occur slowly.
Flashcard 17: What does a high erosion rate usually cause to landforms over shorter time periods?
Answer: Faster, more noticeable landform change. More material is removed per unit time, creating visible changes.
Flashcard 18: What is erosion rate in terms of how fast Earth materials are removed or moved?
Answer: The speed at which soil, rock, or sediment is worn away and transported. Erosion rate measures how quickly Earth's surface materials are removed.
Flashcard 19: What does a high erosion rate mean for how fast a landform changes?
Answer: The landform changes quickly. More material is removed per unit time.
Flashcard 20: What does a low erosion rate mean for how fast a landform changes?
Answer: The landform changes slowly. Less material is removed per unit time.
Flashcard 21: Identify the agent of erosion that often causes fast change during storms and floods.
Answer: Running water. High water volume and speed increase erosion power.
Flashcard 22: What is one condition that usually decreases erosion rate on land?
Answer: More plant cover (vegetation). Plant roots hold soil particles in place.
Flashcard 23: What is one way drought or very little rain affects erosion rate by water?
Answer: It decreases erosion rate by water. Less water means less force to move materials.
Flashcard 24: What is one result of a high erosion rate in a river channel over many years?
Answer: A deeper or wider channel. Fast-flowing water carves deeper into riverbed.
Flashcard 25: What is one result of a high erosion rate along a coastline over many years?
Answer: Coastal cliffs and beaches retreat inland. Waves remove material, moving shoreline backward.
Flashcard 26: What is one landform that can form when running water erodes rock quickly in a narrow area?
Answer: A canyon. Concentrated water flow cuts deep into rock layers.
Flashcard 27: Identify the landform change expected where wind erosion rate is high and soil is dry and loose.
Answer: More sand movement and dune migration. Wind easily lifts and transports dry, loose particles.
Flashcard 28: Choose the best conclusion: If erosion rate increases, what happens to the time needed for noticeable landform change?
Answer: The time needed decreases. Faster erosion achieves same change in less time.
Flashcard 29: Which human-made change often increases erosion rate by exposing bare soil on slopes?
Answer: Construction or farming without ground cover. Bare soil lacks protection from erosive forces.
Flashcard 30: Identify the agent of erosion that usually causes slow, steady landform change by pulling downhill.
Answer: Gravity. Constant downward pull causes gradual movement.